Download or read book Aspiring to Enlightenment written by Richard D. McBride II and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Centered on the practice of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land paradise Sukhāvatī, the Amitābha cult has been the dominant form of Buddhism in Korea since the middle of the Silla period (ca. 300–935). In Aspiring to Enlightenment, Richard McBride combines analyses of scriptural, exegetical, hagiographical, epigraphical, art historical, and literary materials to provide an episodic account of the cult in Silla times and its rise in an East Asian context through the mutually interconnected perspectives of doctrine and practice. McBride demonstrates that the Pure Land tradition emerging in Korea in the seventh and eighth centuries was vibrant and collaborative and that Silla monk-scholars actively participated in a shared, international Buddhist discourse. Monks such as the exegete par excellence Wŏnhyo and the Yogācāra proponent Kyŏnghŭng did not belong to a specific sect or school, but like their colleagues in China, they participated in a broadly inclusive doctrinal tradition. He examines scholarly debates surrounding the cults of Maitreya and Amitābha, the practice of buddhānusmṛti, the recollection of Amitābha, the “ten recollections” within the larger Mahāyāna context of the bodhisattva’s path of practice, the emerging Huayan intellectual tradition, and the influential interpretations of medieval Chinese Pure Land proponents Tanluan and Shandao. Finally, his work illuminates the legacy of the Silla Pure Land tradition, revealing how the writings of Silla monks continued to be of great value to Japanese monks for several centuries. With its fresh and comprehensive approach to the study of Pure Land Buddhism, Aspiring to Enlightenment is important for not only students and scholars of Korean history and religion and East Asian Buddhism, but also those interested in the complex relationship between doctrinal writings and devotional practice “on the ground.”
Download or read book Transcending Time written by Gen Lamrimpa and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-08-19 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspired by years of scholarly training and decades of solitary retreat, Tibetan monk Gen Lamrimpa offers a concise overview of all phases of the Kalachakra practice: the preliminaries, the initiation, and finally, the stages of generation and completion. With remarkable clarity, he makes the Six-Session Guruyoga practice accessible to all practitioners, and deepens our understanding and appreciation of this sublime teaching of the Buddha. Gen Lamrimpa begins this eminently practical explanation by emphasizing the importance of a compassionate motivation for spiritual practice. He then explores the nature of suffering and the cycle of existence that traps all living beings, and concludes with a detailed account of the Six-Phase Yoga, which is meant to be recited and contemplated three times during the day and three times at night. Alan Wallace's introduction illuminates both Kalachakra's rich history and Gen Lamrimpa's unique contribution to our understanding. This book provides a clear explanation of Kalachakra as set forth within the context of the Six-Session Guruyoga, a daily meditation practice for initiates. Transcending Time presents all phases of Kalachakra practice--the preliminaries, the initiation, and finally, the stages of generation and completion.
Download or read book The Sutra written by Yutong and published by Ukiyoto Publishing. This book was released on with total page 1202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In exploring the essence, function, and role of religion in human societies, we have to confront a complex and multifaceted issue. Religion, as an enduring cultural phenomenon, has evolved in its connotations and denotations over time. This profound exploration into religion reveals the secrets behind the enduring vitality of religious practices and the invisible ecological nature of religion itself. It presents the power of enlightenment, transcending the realms of monks and nuns, making us realize that all beings possess Buddha-nature and the potential to attain enlightenment. Enlightenment is the foundation of faith and a pivotal moment in the course of scientifically disciplined spiritual practice. In the vast river of the universe, humanity is but a node, with an enlightened society being its ultimate destination. Through the right knowledge and insight, we ensure the absolute authority of the Sutra, approaching the original intent of the Buddha infinitely and materialistically. Employing a scientific materialist perspective to understand Buddhism is the essential path to enlightenment and mastery of objective laws. The reason religion continues to captivate people lies not only in its provision of spiritual solace but more importantly, in fulfilling the pursuit of ultimate meaning. Through its unique belief system, religion offers believers a way to interpret the world and life, often surpassing everyday experiences and logic. Moreover, religion plays a social function by propagating specific alues, thereby influencing society and maintaining social order to some extent. The essence of religion can be regarded as an objectively existing invisible ecology. This view considers religion as a manifestation of a special relationship between humans and nature and the universe, representing humanity's attempt to understand and master the world. The sacred reality in religion provides people with a spiritual refuge beyond reality, enabling them to find strength and hope when facing difficulties and challenges in life. Third, enlightenment is the essence of Buddha-nature; it is not confined to monks or nuns. This view highlights the importance of "self-awakening" in Buddhism. Every individual has the potential to become enlightened. It is not limited to monks or nuns but open to anyone willing and able to follow the correct practices. This perspective encourages personal spiritual enhancement and self-improvement through inner cultivation and practice. The belief that all beings possess Buddha-nature signifies everyone's potential for enlightenment. Grounded in a fundamental doctrine of Buddhism, it suggests that all living beings inherently possess supreme Buddha-nature, which can be gradually unveiled by the correct practice, removing ignorance and delusion, ultimately achieving enlightenment. This highlights Buddhism's affirmation of individual potential and the possibility of self-transcendence through practice. In summary, religion, as a complex cultural phenomenon, extends far beyond mere superstition or spiritual reliance. It influences the development and future of human societies with correct knowledge and insight. Religion serves both as an individual's spiritual pursuit and a societal value system. Through a deep understanding and study of religion, we can better recognize its significant status in human history and culture, as well as its positive contributions to individual and societal development. This journey of exploration is not only a reflection on religion itself but also an inquiry into human civilization, transcending traditional religious boundaries, Integrating science and faith, and opening a path to enlightenment. In this era of challenge and transformation, this book offers a guiding light, leading us towards a deeper reflection and cognition, Illuminating a promising path for humanity's future.
Download or read book Becoming Enlightened written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-01-06 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Becoming Enlightened, His Holiness the Dalai Lama powerfully explores the foundation of Buddhism, laying out an accessible and practical approach to age-old questions: How can we live free from suffering? How can we achieve lasting happiness and peace? Drawing from traditional Buddhist meditative practices as well as penetrating examples from today's troubled planet, he presents step-by-step exercises designed to expand the reader's capacity for spiritual growth, along with clear milestones to mark the reader's progress. By following the spiritual practices outlined in Becoming Enlightened, we can learn how to replace troublesome feelings with positive attitudes and embark on a path to achieving an exalted state -- within ourselves and within the larger world. Full of personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama's experiences as a lifelong student, thinker, political leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Becoming Enlightened gives readers all the wisdom, support, guidance, and inspiration they need to become successful and fulfilled in their spiritual lives. This is a remarkable and empowering book that can be read and enjoyed by seekers of all faiths. Readers at every stage of their spiritual development will be captivated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama's loving and direct teaching style.
Download or read book Gone Beyond Volume 1 written by Karl Brunnholzl and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2011-07-16 with total page 901 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Abhisamayalamkara summarizes all the topics in the vast body of the Prajnaparamita Sutras. Resembling a zip-file, it comes to life only through its Indian and Tibetan commentaries. Together, these texts not only discuss the "hidden meaning" of the Prajnaparamita Sutras—the paths and bhumis of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas—but also serve as contemplative manuals for the explicit topic of these sutras—emptiness—and how it is to be understood on the progressive levels of realization of bodhisattvas. Thus these texts describe what happens in the mind of a bodhisattva who meditates on emptiness, making it a living experience from the beginner's stage up through buddhahood. Gone Beyond contains the first in-depth study of the Abhisamayalamkara (the text studied most extensively in higher Tibetan Buddhist education) and its commentaries in the Kagyu School. This study (in two volumes) includes translations of Maitreya's famous text and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa Goncho Yenla (the first translation ever of a complete commentary on the Abhisamayalamkara into English), which are supplemented by extensive excerpts from the commentaries by the Third, Seventh, and Eighth Karmapas and others. Thus it closes a long-standing gap in the modern scholarship on the Prajnaparamita Sutras and the literature on paths and bhumis in mahayana Buddhism. The first volume presents an English translation of the first three chapters of the Abhisamayalamkara and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa. The second volume presents an English translation of the final five chapters and its commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa.
Download or read book The Essential Shinran written by Shinran and published by World Wisdom, Inc. This book was released on 2007 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shinran (1173-1262) is the founder of the Jodo Shinshu Pure Land Buddhist tradition in Japan during the Kamakura period. This movement, once set in motion, eventually became the largest Buddhist sect in Japan and spread to the West at the end of the nineteenth century. Renowned scholar of Shin Buddhism, Alfred Bloom, presents the life and spiritual legacy of Shinran Shonin, the influential religious reformer and founder of Pure Land Buddhism, the most popular school of Buddhism in Japan today. Bloom presents a wide selection of Shinran's essential writings on the key Shin Buddhist idea of true entrusting (shinjin) to the Other-Power of Amida Buddha through His Vow to save all sentient beings. The Essential Teachings of Shinran, also, includes a foreword by Shin Buddhist scholar, Rueben Habito, a detailed glossary of foreign terms, and a select bibliography for further reading.
Download or read book Aspiring to Enlightenment written by Richard D. McBride II and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Centered on the practice of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land paradise Sukhāvatī, the Amitābha cult has been the dominant form of Buddhism in Korea since the middle of the Silla period (ca. 300–935). In Aspiring to Enlightenment, Richard McBride combines analyses of scriptural, exegetical, hagiographical, epigraphical, art historical, and literary materials to provide an episodic account of the cult in Silla times and its rise in an East Asian context through the mutually interconnected perspectives of doctrine and practice. McBride demonstrates that the Pure Land tradition emerging in Korea in the seventh and eighth centuries was vibrant and collaborative and that Silla monk-scholars actively participated in a shared, international Buddhist discourse. Monks such as the exegete par excellence Wŏnhyo and the Yogācāra proponent Kyŏnghŭng did not belong to a specific sect or school, but like their colleagues in China, they participated in a broadly inclusive doctrinal tradition. He examines scholarly debates surrounding the cults of Maitreya and Amitābha, the practice of buddhānusmṛti, the recollection of Amitābha, the “ten recollections” within the larger Mahāyāna context of the bodhisattva’s path of practice, the emerging Huayan intellectual tradition, and the influential interpretations of medieval Chinese Pure Land proponents Tanluan and Shandao. Finally, his work illuminates the legacy of the Silla Pure Land tradition, revealing how the writings of Silla monks continued to be of great value to Japanese monks for several centuries. With its fresh and comprehensive approach to the study of Pure Land Buddhism, Aspiring to Enlightenment is important for not only students and scholars of Korean history and religion and East Asian Buddhism, but also those interested in the complex relationship between doctrinal writings and devotional practice “on the ground.”
Download or read book The Promise of Amida Buddha written by Hōnen and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joji Atone was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1951 and holds a Ph.D. from the University of WisconsinûMadison. Since 1992, he has been the director of Bukkyo UniversityûLos Angeles Extension. --
Download or read book Walking An Uncommon Path written by The Gyalwang Drukpa and published by Drukpa Publications Pvt. Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-12-15 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book, the first of the GOSSIP Series and essentially a collection of teachings given by His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, is divided into 4 sections (13 chapters) of simple guide to spiritual practice.
Download or read book The Awakening Mind written by Tashi Tsering and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-08-05 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new addition to the author's "Foundation of Buddhist Thought" series, based on his popular courses, continues his mission to create a simple, systematic introduction to Buddhist philosophy and practice. This volume explores the importance of compassion in our lives and the traditional techniques for developing bodhichitta, or "the mind of enlightenment," which aspires to buddhahood in order to liberate all beings from suffering. Topics include the seven-point cause-and-effect method for developing bodhichitta, the practice of exchanging oneself for others, and the ten deeds of a bodhisattva.
Download or read book Shantideva s Guide to Awakening written by Yeshe Tobden and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-07-18 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reprint of translation: The way of awakening. 2005.
Download or read book Japanese Philosophy written by James W. Heisig and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2011-07-31 with total page 1362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook, readers of English can now access in a single volume the richness and diversity of Japanese philosophy as it has developed throughout history. Leading scholars in the field have translated selections from the writings of more than a hundred philosophical thinkers from all eras and schools of thought, many of them available in English for the first time. The Sourcebook editors have set out to represent the entire Japanese philosophical tradition—not only the broad spectrum of academic philosophy dating from the introduction of Western philosophy in the latter part of the nineteenth century, but also the philosophical ideas of major Japanese traditions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto. The philosophical significance of each tradition is laid out in an extensive overview, and each selection is accompanied by a brief biographical sketch of its author and helpful information on placing the work in its proper context. The bulk of the supporting material, which comprises nearly a quarter of the volume, is given to original interpretive essays on topics not explicitly covered in other chapters: cultural identity, samurai thought, women philosophers, aesthetics, bioethics. An introductory chapter provides a historical overview of Japanese philosophy and a discussion of the Japanese debate over defining the idea of philosophy, both of which help explain the rationale behind the design of the Sourcebook. An exhaustive glossary of technical terminology, a chronology of authors, and a thematic index are appended. Specialists will find information related to original sources and sinographs for Japanese names and terms in a comprehensive bibliography and general index. Handsomely presented and clearly organized for ease of use, Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook will be a cornerstone in Japanese studies for decades to come. It will be an essential reference for anyone interested in traditional or contemporary Japanese culture and the way it has shaped and been shaped by its great thinkers over the centuries.
Download or read book Groundless Paths written by Karl Brunnholzl and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2012-08-14 with total page 897 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Abhisamayalamkara summarizes all the topics in the vast body of the prajñaparamita sutras. Resembling a zip-file, it comes to life only through its Indian and Tibetan commentaries. Together, these texts not only discuss the "hidden meaning" of the prajñaparamita sutras—the paths and bhumis of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas—but also serve as contemplative manuals for the explicit topic of these sutras—emptiness—and how it is to be understood on the progressive levels of realization of bodhisattvas. Thus these texts describe what happens in the mind of a bodhisattva who meditates on emptiness, making it a living experience from the beginner's stage up through buddhahood. Groundless Paths contains the first in-depth study of the Abhisamayalamkara (the text studied most extensively in higher Tibetan Buddhist education) and its commentaries from the perspective of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. This study consists mainly of translations of Maitreya's famous text and two commentaries on it by Patrul Rinpoche. These are supplemented by three short texts on the paths and bhumis by the same author, as well as extensive excerpts from commentaries by six other Nyingma masters, including Mipham Rinpoche. Thus this book helps close a long-standing gap in the modern scholarship on the prajñaparamita sutras and the literature on paths and bhumis in mahayana Buddhism. Arya Maitreya's Ornament of Clear Realization, with its Indian and Tibetan commentaries, presents the complex dynamics of the path to liberation as a succession of realizations of the empty nature of all phenomena. This presentation is a powerful antidote to whatever two-dimensional views we might hold about spiritual experience and the journey to enlightenment.
Download or read book How to Practice written by Dalai Lama XIV Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2003-08-19 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers toward enlightenment, How to Practice is a constant companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom.
Download or read book Bla Ma i Mchod Pa written by Robert A. F. Thurman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-02-10 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most prominent expert on Buddhism in the West presents his most importantteaching and meditation practice for everyday life.
Download or read book How To Practice written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2002-02-12 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As human beings, we possess one common desire: the need for happiness and a meaningful life. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. Now, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and bestselling author helps readers begin the path to enlightenment in a very special book -- an easy-access reference for daily practice as well as stunning illumination of the timeless wisdom of His Holiness. How to Practice will guide you toward opening your heart, refraining from doing harm, maintaining mental tranquility, and more. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers of all faiths toward enlightenment, this accessible book is a constant and daily companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness' vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers the Dalai Lama's own sage and very practical insight into the human psyche and what binds us all together.
Download or read book Pruning the Bodhi Tree written by Jamie Hubbard and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1997-07-01 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is Buddhism? According to Hakamaya Noriaki and Matsumoto Shiro, the answer lies in neither Ch’an nor Zen; in neither the Kyoto school of philosophy nor the non-duality taught in the Vimalakirti Sutra. Hakamaya contends that “criticism alone is Buddhism.” This volume introduces and analyzes the ideas of “critical Buddhism” in relation to the targets of its critique and situates those ideas in the context of current discussions of postmodern academic scholarship, the separation of the disinterested scholar and committed religious practitioner, and the place of social activism within the academy. Essays critical of the received traditions of Buddhist thought—many never before translated—are presented and then countered by the work of respected scholars, both Japanese and Western, who take contrary positions.
